On August 30th, 2015, more than 200 guests gathered in Bloomington for GBA’s fourth annual gala, celebrating the continued progress of the College des Saviors school and programs. This year’s gala theme, Congo: Continue the Story in the Garden, was based off of GBA’s current sustainability curriculum, which aims to incorporate lessons of nutrition, clean water, and waste management into a new set of service-learning opportunities for students, culminating in the creation of a Student’s Learning Garden.

The 2015 gala set a new record for the number of attendees and also raised over $30,000, an increase of $5,000 from 2014. Guests bought over 95% of the 90 plus total silent auction items and enjoyed a night of inspiration, entertainment, and shopping in the African market. There were 75 sponsors of the night including Uptown Café, Farm Bloomington, Salt Creek Brewery, Cardinal Spirits, Twin H Nursery and Tree Farm, and many more. There were over 50 unique packages donated by local and regional donors. The evening included presentations by Jim Calli (our MC), Maria Brown, Linnea Stifler, Jerry Kimdomba, and Dena Hawes.

We want to thank all of the staff, sponsors, volunteers, and guests for making this event possible. We look forward to sharing more stories with you as the sustainability curriculum continues to advance. For more information about the sustainability curriculum and our current projects, please continue to visit our blog.